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‘BIRDS’ IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

07/08/2018 01:07:00 BY Lwazi's Pandora's Boxs

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My dearest readers ... Overtime, in sport, even the greatest achievements fade. Mbabane Highlanders’ 12 league titles meld to one glorious procession; Eleven Men In Flight’s riding the crest of the wave in the late 1990s before they embarked on a flight to oblivion into the obscurity of the Lubombo Regional Football Leagues. Royal Leopard’s glory days, as they roared on the pinnacle of Eswatini football, have been replaced by a whisper that would not even scare a skinny cat.

What remains is truly exceptional.
Mbabane Swallows, the all-conquering, indestructible, indomitable machine in red and white with a shade of blue’s 11 trophies in four seasons and still counting. The CAF Confederation Cup and most importantly the premium CAF Champions league group stages qualifications is honourably incomparable. The Swallows of Mbabane, love or loathe them, are in a class of their own.

This angst-ridden armchair critic has been accused, among other things, of being a praise-singer of the Swallows of Mbabane because here in this State-Of-the-Nation-Sports-Address, I have always stated the blindingly obvious that over the last four seasons, they have given us all that we love about football- faith, idealism, optimism and romance.

I have not been bothered by those hare-brained nincompoops whose hatred for the ‘Beautiful Birds’ and their achievements blinds them from giving credit where it’s due. This column prides itself for its bold reporting and laying out the truth in its most naked form. I owe this to the more than 100 000 people whose weekly diet is this column, SONSA. In any case, I know journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist worth the tag is a moralist. It’s absolutely unavoidable. It’s not even me saying it but one French writer, Marguerite Duras. Some may argue that ‘morality’ and the ‘media’ cannot be used in the same sentence. I will obviously argue otherwise.

This columnist prides himself in sticking to the truth and understands it rubs some people the wrong way, especially if they have deep seated hatred of some people and teams. But there is one thing about the truth. It knows no bounds. It knows no master. Nobody could have put it with such alluring clarity than one German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, who said about truth, as long ago as the 19th century, that it goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed, secondly, it is violently opposed and thirdly, it is accepted as self-evident.

I am glad, if not overtly proud, that the truth that was spelt out by SONSA last week, that inspite of their powder-puff performance against Tunisian side, Etoile Du Sahel in the CAF Champions league – home and away – culminating to the mind-numbing 5-0 aggregate scoreline, Swallows could still come back and clinch the Eswatini Charity Cup. Most importantly, that they are, without a shadow of doubt, the big fish in a small pond in Eswatini football.

To the neutrals, this could be a cancer Eswatini football needs to get rid of where one team sweeps the boards season after season as it becomes monotonous and allows the dominant side to slide into the comfort zone which does not help their cause when they come up against the best in the continent. Swallows are now victim of their own successes especially when they fly to the unforgiving African jungle where the hunters become the hunted.

After annexing the Eswatini Charity Cup, beating bitter rivals Mbabane Highlanders in the final on Sunday before a huge 17 000 crowd, one thing became certain – Swallows has a resilience that now comes like second nature to them.
Often derided as mere luck by their detractors, Thabo ‘Koki’ Vilakati’s all-conquering troops’ growing charisma and confidence easily translates into grit and determination. Inspite of missing five key players, who were key in their dominance in the past, jersey number 11, Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze, AWOL (Absence Without Official Leave) midfielder, Njabulo ‘D4D’ Ndlovu, left full back, Sanele Mkhwele who together with first-choice goalkeeper, Sandile ‘Nkomishi’ Ginindza and striker, Felix Badenhorst have migrated to Eswatini’s other land, Mpumalanga, Swallows still a tad better than both Young Buffaloes and Matsapha Highlanders....er Mbabane Highlanders.

Sunday’s triumph by the ‘Birds’ speaks to the winning culture and the foundation that was laid by dearly departed club boss, Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze. Unlike in previous season when they had to rebuild their strong sides after losing top players to the armed forces, Swallows have been able to maintain a core of their squad which no doubt led to the endless success which has seen them eclipse a boutique of 11 trophies – and still counting – in four seasons.

Picture this; Papy Kabamba, who ate the whole pitch like a pac-man, has now been replaced by Cameroon anchor man the dreadlocked Jean Claude Amougou; ‘Pupu’ is RamaG’s new teammate at ‘Rise and Shine’ in Polokwane. In came his elder brother Xolani ‘Papi’ Sikhondze, wearing the same jersey number 11 and he is no Pupu-lite. He is the real deal.

He was outstanding in both games on Sunday on his official debut. ‘Nkomishi’ is off to Mbombela United and Sandanezwe Mathabela took the baton and proved to be as equally good. No doubt, Swallows is a team in transition but whether the rest of the teams are not good enough to match them or they are just a big fish in a small pond in Eswatini football, remains to be seen.

But sending a message to their detractors that they are not paper tigers was a mission they accomplished with aplomb on Sunday, sending their bitter rivals into perpetual agony.

In the Indian summer of his career, captain fantastic, Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze, whose performances far belie his age, I would not begrudge him for staying away from the weight-lifting section of the gym. He is doing just fine picking up all that silverware from His Majesty King Mswati III and he is the most decorated skipper in the country ever.

Tsabedze and his teammates, the Class of 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 have immersed themselves in lifetime of glory. Their names will be inscribed in the Hall of Fame long after our mortal flesh and souls have been laid to rest.

I know I am sounding like a stuck record but CONGRATULATIONS MBABANE SWALLOWS FOOTBALL CLUB!
Yours is the resilience of the human spirit. I have no doubt one man, the club’s guardian angel lying in the fertile land of KaLanga in Siteki, right now, must be belting his trademark charming smile.
Shaka akashayeki!